Archive for February, 2008

Drive in Eugene from the University of Oregon area directly east over the Willamette River and you’ll soon land in the city of Springfield. But before you get there you will have passed over, and probably not even noticed, another community, called Glenwood.

Not often would a local daily newspaper call one of its home communities “problematic,” but the Eugene Register-Guard is using the word to describe the unincorporated Glenwood area, and it makes some of the case for the city of Springfield’s plan to annex the area. There are a number of reasons, but one of them is visible for those who take the look: A growing homeless community along the riverfront.

Just down the hill from the popular panhandling spot sit about 10 more men, smoking hand-rolled cigarettes and drinking beer at the base of the north bridge.

These are the men who pester passers-by for money. Who sometimes fight and go to jail after downing one too many underneath the bridge. And who have long posed a dilemma to local officials stymied over how to deal with the Eugene-Springfield area’s most visible homeless camp.

Springfield officials responsible for planning Glenwood’s future say the situation has dragged on long enough. Following years of watching county and state agencies struggle to keep the bridge area safe and clean, the city is now ready to take the lead.

That isn’t a fair description of all or most of Glenwood. Some of it is a long-running, traditional blue collar community with real traditions of its own. But as the article suggests, it may need some help.

The argument that Oregon Republican Senator Gordon Smith changes his voting pattern as re-election time approaches will find some support in a new round of online stats released by the League of Conservation Voters, which charts congressional environmental voting.

In the first two years of his current term, Smith pulled a 28% grade from the LCV, and 37% in the next two. For environmental votes last year, that jumped through the roof to 73%.

That wasn’t because of the issues on the table or ome other fluky factor. Oregon’s other senator, Democrat Ron Wyden, actually scoredlower last year (87%) than in the four years previous, though his ratings throughout were quite close. Idaho’s two Republican senators (who scored low in in the LCV ratings) and Washington’s two Democrats (who scored high) all, like Wyden, stayed fairly consistent throughout that period in their ratings.

If the news stories you’ve seen so far about the bankruptcy filing by the owners of the Tamarack Resort near Donnelly have seemed a little . . . vague, you’re not alone. But if the subject is of interest and you want at least a framework for thinking about, help is available.

The Boise Guardian web site asked for some perspective from a bankruptcy attorney, Randy French, and wound up with a solid overview. You won’t find definitive answers about what the filing means, but that’s largely because too many pieces of the puzzle are not visible. But French does provide the legal and business framework that’ll help you make sense of whatever does come next.

Sounding definitive, Jason Williams reports on Oregon Catalyst that former legislator and multi-office candidate Kevin Mannix will go after the Republican nomination for the U.S. House, for the seat being vacated by Democrat Darlene Hooley. The probability has been noted before; this suggests an announcement is imminent. Which would make sense, since the field is yet to fully emerge, and early announcements can sometimes cut off opposition before it develops.

We were more struck, though, by the strategic rationale behind the candidacy: “This has been the result of a long career of activities as a lawmaker, state party chair, statewide candidate for various offices, and promoting many ballot measures for nearly 20 years. It has been speculated that Hooley’s surprise late announcement would handicap a Republican challenger. Mannix’s early name ID and ability to fundraise negates this handicap.”

Of course, this being a federal race, the looser Oregon state campaign finance rules aren’t applicable, which may mean Mannix’ past fundraising approaches may need some adjustment.

With the recent mass rally for Barack Obama still in Boiseans’ minds, the archives at Boise State University tracked down some pertinent exhibits and has now placed them on line: Photos of the one political rally in Idaho history even larger than Obama’s. Timely stuff.

The circumstances are worth recollection. That was an outdoor rally at the Idaho Statehouse, for the Republican presidential nominee, Dwight Eisenhower. Ike was drawn in part because Idaho’s governor then, Republican Len Jordan, was one of his most vocal backers among upper-level elected officials. Also, maybe, the fact that Idaho then was a state up for grabs in presidential politics. Idaho had voted solidly for Franklin Roosevelt and also for Democrat Harry Truman in 1948, but it had veered strongly Republican in the 1950 elections. A substantial visit was more than a ceremonial visit.

Eisenhower’s win in 1952 in Idaho (as well as nationally) started a Gem State trend, lasting to this day. With the sole exception of 1964, when Lyndon Johnson barely squeaked past Republican Barry Goldwater, Idaho has voted Republican for president ever since.

Could it be that another rally comparable in size launches . . . nah . . .

The vote count in Washington is still a long way from finished, so some of the county notions on the map below cold jump back and forth. But the questions are likely to remain.

Remember that Washington voters, some of them anyway, got the chance to vote twice for president in their nomination process – caucuses a week and a half ago, and primary on Tuesday. The rules were different, though, for each party. For Republicans, both contests counted, since delegates would be selected based partly on the caucuses and partly on the primary. For the Democrats, the primary had no practical effect – all delegates were assigned based on the caucus.

Still, in each case, we had two bites of the apple, and for both parties the bites looked different. Continue Reading »

So what’s the matter with King County election reporting this time? As of this writing – about 10 p.m. – returns in Washington’s largest county have been stuck at a little over two percent of precincts reporting. Slow, slow . . .

The statewide core story, nonetheless, seems to be clear enough. Among Republicans, Arizona senator John McCain is getting the strong, decisive him he doubtless hoped for in the caucuses, when former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee held him to a near draw. That matters, since about half of the Washington national convention delegates get picked on the basis of this primary. And among Democrats, Illinois Senator Barack Obama was defeating New York Senator Hillary Clinton, though by a much slimmer margin that he did in the caucuses. Unfortunately for Clinton, only the caucuses matter in the Democratic contest.

There look to be some highly interesting variations in the county breakdowns. Which we’ll post on soon, King County returns willing.

The Democratic race for Idaho’s 1st House seat has simplified, with the withdrawal of Rand Lewis and his endorsement of fellow candidate Larry Grant.

Lewis had some assets as a candidate, and we didn’t dismiss the possibility he might win the primary, campaigns depending. How much his endorsement of Grant, who ran in 2006 and lost to Republican Bill Sali, is less clear.

The third – now second – candidate in the race, Walt Minnick, has gotten off to a strong and energetic start, well funded and strongly organized.

Grant will draw on residual loyalty from last time, and the real campaign skills he did demonstrate. Minnick will have a good deal of party organization support and plenty of cash – more, now, than Sali. This contest will develop a sharp edge over the next few months.

We first visited Port Townsend about four years ago, and on riding up from the south it first had the appearance of a working port town, with an industrial sector and even substantial boat storage and repair businesses. Then proceeded north, into the heart of town, and saw something else.

There we saw what friends had touted for some time, one of the best small0city tourist destinations in the Northwest. Port Townsend once had ambitions to be a large city indeed – it once put in a serious bid for Washington’s state capitol – and you can see that in the downtown business district, where you find one of the best collections of grand old buildings in any city (even many much larger) in the region. Not to mention the restaurants, bed and breakfasts, galleries and other artsy places you’d expect. It’s not all regentrified yet, but the developers there are on their way.

Politically, you can see in the combination of industrial and resort/tourist the kind of voting base that gives Democrats a strong edge, and they do; this is one of Washington’s most Democratic smaller cities.

So what happens now, socially and politically, as that tourist and resort side increasingly looks askance at the industrial/port side of town, the side that was Port Townsend’s reason for existence through most of its history? Continue Reading »

Maybe the Northwest political blog news today out of Rasmussen Reports will emerge from its new poll of the Oregon Senate race, in which Republican incumbent Gordon Smith takes 48% of the vote against either of the two Democrats, Jeff Merkley (who gets 30%) and Steve Novick (35%). And maybe that’s worthy of note, largely as an indicator of ongoing softness in Smith support.

And, as in a good many other states, Democrat Barack Obama would be projected to defeat Republican John McCain in Oregon, but McCain would be projected to beat Democrat Hillary Clinton.

But we spent more time with Rasmussen’s markets, a sort of futures market – guesses on who will win. A number of national political markets have sprung up in recent years, with focus on the presidential level. Rasmussen’s are more numerous and detailed. In addition to markets for how each state will vote in the November presidential (the ongoing primary and caucus states too well of course), there are also markets for U.S. Senate and governor races around the country. You can read the “buy contract” numbers almost, loosely, like percentages, since they add up to around 100, not as percentages of votes, but in terms of probability of a win.

In the Oregon Senate race, for example, the bid is 75 if you want to buy a contract on the proposition that the Republican nominee will win the general election, and 24 if you think the winner will be a Democrat. You can read it as what those (anonymous) participants thought were the odds of a victory by each side.

In the Idaho Senate race, the Republican contract is bid at 87.1, and the Democratic at 13.1.

For governor of Washington, the bidding is a little closer: 62.2 for the Democrat, 20 for the Republican.

For the general election for president? In Idaho, it’s Republican 90 to Democrat 2.5; Oregon Democrat 80 and no current Republican bid; Washington Democrat 80 and Republican 10.

Nothing definitive or scientific here, but something worth tracking current and often-changing lines of thought.

Afine post in the Slog (of the Seattle Stranger) about the historic area at Columbia City, and the perversity of applying rigid standards in the face of contrary facts.

The site may be historic, but what’s being preserved from development – in the present case – is a very ordinary small strip center; the proposed new development would have a shot at a genuine improvement for the neighborhood. From the Slog:

“While I’m sympathetic to concerns about preserving the historic district (as my coworkers know, I even think they should preserve the Ballard Denny’s), that isn’t what’s at stake here. What is at stake is an ugly plastics warehouse and an uglier parking lot that fronts on a small mall selling hip-hop clothes and cigarettes—both of which are available at many other places in the neighborhood. Both sites are underutilized (Columbia Plaza turns its back on a park that’s a crime hot spot for the area) and would benefit tremendously from new housing. What’s more, the teams associated with both the projects have a history of making developments fit in with the neighborhoods where they’re located.”

Been a while since we’ve seen Cecil Andrus, the former four-term Idaho governor, stride very deeply into highly visible partisan politics. But today, he jumped up on the national stage, letting loose a strong blast at the Hillary Clinton campaign.

Andrus has never been a stong Clinton supporter, so his decision last month to announce for Illinois Senator Barack Obama was no shock. But you get the sense that he’s genuinely ticked at one of the latest argument lines out of the Clinton campaign, that many of the red states (like Idaho mostly won by Obama) are somehow less important than larger blue states. From an Obama campaign email:

Today, former Idaho Governor Cecil Andrus called on the Clinton campaign to apologize for remarks made by Joel Ferguson, the Co-Chairman of the Clinton Campaign in Michigan for calling delegates in red states “second-class.” Ferguson said, “Superdelegates are not second-class delegates. The real second-class delegates are the delegates that are picked in red-state caucuses that are never going to vote Democratic.”

This is the latest in a string of attempts by the Clinton campaign to discount the votes of Democrats in the red states. In an effort to spin their losses, the Clinton campaign has repeatedly criticized Senator Obama’s wins in red states.
Governor Andrus said, “Today, a Clinton campaign surrogate took it to another level and said flat out the Democrats in Red States are second-class citizens. This is a step too far. Senator Clinton’s surrogates are telling Democrats in almost half the states in the country that they don’t matter, and that they are second class. Senator Clinton needs to immediately denounce these comments and tell her campaign surrogates to stop taking cheap pot-shots at committed Democrats across the country.”

Andrus added, “We have a senate race and a congressional race that we are going to win. I have been elected four times so don’t tell me a Democrat can’t win. If we tell people that their votes don’t matter, of course they aren’t going to consider voting for Democrats in the general election. This attitude doesn’t just hurt us in the Presidential campaign, but it also hurts down-ballot candidates and our efforts to build the party. We can’t have another polarizing election that starts with a candidate If you tell telling people living in smaller states that their voices don’t matter. Obama has been successful in earning support from voters of all races, genders, in red states and blue states. We need to continue those efforts and not stifle them before the election even begins.”

There’s excitement among quite a few Oregon Republicans, something few probably were expecting at this point in what mostly looks like a dismal GOP season west of the Cascades. Partly connected with that, there’s some push and some excitement among a number of visible Republicans, at this point anyway, for one particular prospect for the newly-opened U.S. House seat, a man who has lost four statewide races in a row without ever winning an election above the state legislative level, and then mostly as a Democrat.

That would be Salem attorney Kevin Mannix, who after his last loss – for governor in 2006, coming in second in the Republican primary – seemed to be out of major office politics. But more interest seems to be centering around him than the two other most likely prospects (with the distinct possibility of more to come). Those other two are former and unsuccessful candidates for the 5th district seat: Mike Erickson, who ran against retiring Democratic Representative Darlene Hooley in 2006, and Brian Boquist, who ran in 2000 and 2002. A fourth prospect is state Representative Vicki Berger. That all of these would be (for different reasons) serious, substantial candidates says something about the residual Republican strength in the 5th.

Which of them might be strongest in the general election is an imponderable for the moment, since we have no clear idea who the Democratic nominee – or even the Democratic contestants – may be. (Could include one of the Schraders, or maybe Labor Commissioner Dan Gardner, or any of a half-dozen other prospects. We don’t know yet.) But, albeit as a preliminary thing, we can start thinking about how these Republicans may fare facing off against each other. Continue Reading »

On seeing the schedule for hearings on the proposed new casino at Cascade Locks, the first sensible question is: Will they matter? After all, the decider on this thing – Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne – seems pretty well positioned against allowing tribal casinos off reservation land (though some recent article indicate some jar in the door).

Worth considering, though, for at least two reasons.

One is the just-released draft environmental impact statement, prepared for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which seemed to take a mostly positive view of the casino plan. That logically should have some effect on decision-making higher up. (Snark on this already anticipated and borne in mind.)

The other is a simple reality: A year from now the strong odds are there will be a new Interior secretary. What he or she might do about the casino proposal isn’t, of course, known. Might be a reasonable question (in the context of Indian gaming more generally) for the presidential candidates.

As amusing as may be the idea of a war between Jack Bogdanski (of Jack Bog’s Blog) and the Portland Mercury’s Blogtown may be, the really striking thing in this post was the idea of a blog devoted to the subject of gentrification in Portland.

We’ll be back with more on this before long, but for now attention should be paid to the protesters – increasingly loud and angry – of plans to run liquid natural gas lines through Oregon. This is a rising movement, and it has the feel of something just this side of a serious growth curve.

Lead from today’s Astoria story on this: “Opponents of a liquefied natural gas terminal near Astoria complained at a public hearing about the number of state and federal agencies involved in the project, saying none has responsibility for a complete project review.” Hint, hint.

Athoughtful read in today’s Nicole Brodeur column in the Seattle Times, on the idea – mulled around by Washington legislators – to allow judges to order a special, bright yellow, license plate be affixed to the cars driven by DUI convicts.

Sounds on its face like a reasonable idea, at least in some cases. And after reading the column, it still sounds good – on balance. But even such a simple idea has its nuances. The column is a good runthrough on why public policy so often isn’t quite as clearcut as it initially appears.

"Essentially, I write in the margins of motherhood—and everything else—then I work these notes into a monthly column about what it’s like raising my two young boys. Are my columns funny? Are they serious? They don’t fit into any one box neatly. ... I’ve won awards for “best humorous column” though I actually write about subjects as light as bulimia, bullying, birthing plans and breastfeeding. But also bon-bons. And barf, and birthdays."
Raising the Hardy Boys: They Said There Would Be Bon-Bons. by Nathalie Hardy; Ridenbaugh Press, Carlton, Oregon. 238 pages. Softcover. $15.95.Raising the Hardy Boys page.

"Not a day passes that I don’t think about Vietnam. Sometimes its an aroma or just hearing the Vietnamese accent of a store clerk that triggers a memory. Unlike all too many soldiers, I never had to fire a weapon in anger. Return to civilian life was easy, but even after all these years away from the Army and Vietnam I find the experience – and knowledge – continue to shape my life daily."

Many critics said it could not be done - and it often almost came undone. Now the Snake River Basin Adjudication is done, and that improbable story is told here by three dozen of the people most centrally involved with it - judges, attorneys, legislators, engineers, water managers, water users and others in the room when the decisions were made.Through the Waters: An Oral History of the Snake River Basin Adjudication. edited by the Idaho State Bar Water Law Section and Randy Stapilus; Ridenbaugh Press, Carlton, Oregon. 300 pages. Softcover. $16.95.See the THROUGH THE WATERS page.

Oregon Governor Vic Atiyeh died on July 20, 2014; he was widely praised for steady leadership in difficult years. Writer Scott Jorgensen talks with Atiyeh and traces his background, and what others said about him. Conversations with Atiyeh. by W. Scott Jorgensen; Ridenbaugh Press, Carlton, Oregon. 140 pages. Softcover. $14.95.The CONVERSATIONS WITH ATIYEH page.

"Salvation through public service and the purging of awful sights seen during 1500 Vietnam War helicopter rescue missions before an untimely death, as told by a devoted brother, leaves a reader pondering life's unfairness. A haunting read." Chris Carlson, Medimont Reflections. ". . . a vivid picture of his brother Jerry’s time as a Medivac pilot in Vietnam and contrasts it with the reality of the political system . . . through the lens of a blue-collar, working man made good." Mike Kennedy.One Flaming Hour: A memoir of Jerry Blackbird. by Mike Blackbird; Ridenbaugh Press, Carlton, Oregon. 220 pages. Softcover. $15.95.See the ONE FLAMING HOUR page.

Back in Print!Frank Church was one of the leading figures in Idaho history, and one of the most important U.S. senators of the last century. From wilderness to Vietnam to investigating the CIA, Church led on a host of difficult issues. This, the one serious biography of Church originally published in 1994, is back in print by Ridenbaugh Press.Fighting the Odds: The Life of Senator Frank Church. LeRoy Ashby and Rod Gramer; Ridenbaugh Press, Carlton, Oregon. 800 pages. Softcover. $24.95.See the FIGHTING THE ODDS page.

JOURNEY WEST

by Stephen HartgenThe personal story of the well-known editor, publisher and state legislator's travel west from Maine to Idaho. A well-written account for anyone interested in Idaho, journalism or politics.JOURNEY WEST: A memoir of journalism and politics, by Stephen Hartgen; Ridenbaugh Press, Carlton, Oregon. $15.95, here or at Amazon.com (softcover)

NEW EDITIONSis the story of the Northwest's 226 general-circulation newspapers and where your newspaper is headed.New Editions: The Northwest's Newspapers as They Were, Are and Will Be. Steve Bagwell and Randy Stapilus; Ridenbaugh Press, Carlton, Oregon. 324 pages. Softcover. (e-book ahead). $16.95.See the NEW EDITIONS page.

How many copies?

THE OREGON POLITICALFIELD GUIDE 2014

The Field Guide is the reference for the year on Oregon politics - the people, the districts, the votes, the issues. Compiled by a long-time Northwest political writer and a Salem Statesman-Journal political reporter.OREGON POLITICAL FIELD GUIDE 2014, by Randy Stapilus and Hannah Hoffman; Ridenbaugh Press, Carlton, Oregon. $15.95, available right here or through Amazon.com (softcover)

THE IDAHO POLITICALFIELD GUIDE 2014

by Randy Stapilus and Marty Trillhaase is the reference for the year on Idaho Politics - the people, the districts, the votes, the issues. Written by two of Idaho's most veteran politcal observers.IDAHO POLITICAL FIELD GUIDE 2014, by Randy Stapilus and Marty Trillhaase; Ridenbaugh Press, Carlton, Oregon. $15.95, available right here or through Amazon.com (softcover)

WITHOUT COMPROMISE is the story of the Idaho State Police, from barely-functioning motor vehicles and hardly-there roads to computer and biotechnology. Kelly Kast has spent years researching the history and interviewing scores of current and former state police, and has emerged with a detailed and engrossing story of Idaho. WITHOUT COMPROMISE page.

&nbsp

How many copies?

The Old West saw few murder trials more spectacular or misunderstood than of "Diamondfield" Jack Davis. After years of brushes with the noose, Davis was pardoned - though many continued to believe him guilty. Max Black has spent years researching the Diamondfield saga and found startling new evidence never before uncovered - including the weapon and one of the bullets involved in the crime, and important documents - and now sets out the definitive story. Here too is Black's story - how he found key elements, presumed lost forever, of a fabulous Old West story. See the DIAMONDFIELD page for more.

Chris Carlson's Medimont Reflections is a followup on his biography of former Idaho Governor Cecil Andrus. This one expands the view, bringing in Carlson's take on Idaho politics, the Northwest energy planning council, environmental issues and much more. The Idaho Statesman: "a pull-back-the-curtain account of his 40 years as a player in public life in Idaho." Available here: $15.95 plus shipping.See the Medimont Reflections page

NOW IN KINDLE
&nbspIdaho 100, about the 100 most influential people ever in Idaho, by Randy Stapilus and Martin Peterson is now available. This is the book about to become the talk of the state - who really made Idaho the way it is? NOW AN E-BOOK AVAILABLE THROUGH KINDLE for just $2.99. Or, only $15.95 plus shipping.
&nbsp

WA blogs

Water rights and water wars: They’re not just a western movie any more. The Water Gates reviews water supplies, uses and rights to use water in all 50 states.242 pages, available from Ridenbaugh Press, $15.95

At a time when Americans were only exploring what are now western states, William Craig tried to broker peace between native Nez Perces and newcomers from the East. 15 years in the making, this is one of the most dramatic stories of early Northwest history. 242 pages, available from Ridenbaugh Press, $15.95

The Snake River Basin Adjudication is one of the largest water adjudications the United States has ever seen, and it may be the most successful. Here's how it happened, from the pages of the SRBA Digest, for 16 years the independent source.